“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fishes” (the disciples) answered (Matthew 14:17 NIV).
Each week I searched the Area Shopper, looking at the houses listed, even though I knew the chance of finding one in our price range was unlikely. Although we had been saving for a house for only about a year and a half, it seemed much longer to my impatient heart. I longed to have a place of our own. Then one day, an ad caught my eye. The house shown was clearly more money than we could afford ($4,000 more than our bottom line), but the magic words “newly remodeled kitchen” drew me.
When I showed the ad to Donn, he agreed that it looked good, so we set up an appointment to with the real estate agent to view the house on my birthday. The day before our appointment, I was assailed by doubts and fears. I wanted to cancel the appointment because I was convinced we would love the house but be unable to afford it. With unusual firmness, Donn said, “No, we made the appointment and we’re going!”
The next day as we walked into the beautiful kitchen, the agent said, “What price did you see advertised for this house?” When we told him 
$26,000, he said, “This morning I was authorized to lower the price to $22,400.*” Joyfully, we made our $22,000 bottom line offer which the sellers accepted. Once again, the Multiplier of loaves and the fishes had taken the little we had and multiplied it in ways we couldn’t have imagined.
Thank you, faithful Father, for stretching our resources to provide good gifts for your children. Amen.
*These days it isn’t unusual for the price of a house to drop $4,000 but it was in 1976.
Photo 1) A picture of our house in Stoneboro taken long after we lived there. 2) The beautifully remodeled kitchen with wallpaper that looks pretty busy to me now! 3) Robbie and Donn working on a train on the living room floor. 4) Angie and Robbie playing on the back porch. 5) Donn and Robbie in our garden.
(Devotional from Homespun Faith, Reflections from the Seasons of Life, copyright 2014 Daisy Beiler Townsend. Available as paperback or ebook: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Xulon Press. Locally at Fresh Grounds, M & M Grocery, Leanna’s Books, Penn Alps in Grantsville, Maryland, or from me 724-373-8445 or donaisy@neo.rr.com.)